Friday, November 29, 2013

I just got home from a busy busy day (including a loooooong Black Friday work shift… oofta) and figured I would stop in real quick to post up my Best & Worst of Beauty video for November!

Hopefully you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it), ate lots of yummy food (regardless of whether you celebrate the holiday or not), and maybe even scored some great deals if you're a crazy Black Friday shopper. Seriously, you all are mad haha but I guess it kept me busy at work and I wasn't bored for even a second; one couple even put on a show for me and the rest of the customers by making out (tongue, slobber, shifty hands and all) at the register while I was ringing them up.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

For some reason when I first saw the Illamsqua speckle polishes (stick with me people; I know this is a post about an Urban Outfitters polish but I promise the Illamasqua reference is valid) I was only attracted to the nude beauty "Freckle". The colored versions—pink, purple, green, and a blue identical to this one—just didn't interest me in the slightest. Which I suppose, in the long run, I'm perfectly pleased with because it save my wallet a good amount of tears; Illamasqua polishes will set you back a whopping $17 but when you can snag Urban Outfitters polishes on deal for "2 for $8" (which is pretty much always) then you're only spending about a fourth of the Illamasqua price. Bargain!!

I've gushed about my love for Urban Outfitters polishes before but to quickly reiterate: I love pretty much everything from the super-opaque-quick-dry-chip-resistant formula right on down the to the chunky square glass bottle they're housed in. And, as I said before, at a mere four bucks the price tag ain't bad either.

"BOHEMIAN SUMMER" is a beautiful icy blue creme with large hexagonal and tiny round matte navy glitters packed throughout. The polish is nearly opaque in just one coat but adding a second layer allows a bit of the first layer's speckles to peek through and create a depth that's insanely quirky and mesmerizing. I don't own "Fragile" (the blue speckle Illamasqua polish) but judging by pictures and swatches on Google, I feel pretty confident in saying that "BOHEMIAN SUMMER" is a fantastic money-saving dupe.

Overall I'm just enamored with this Urban Outfitters polish. I wasn't completely sure about it at first but after a minute of having "BOHEMIAN SUMMER" on my nails I knew I was smitten. The robin's egg pattern and color mimic is truly adorable.

So don't let the price tags on Urban Outfitters' clothing scare you away from their nail polishes; they're high quality at a low price and I truly can't recommend them enough!!

Have you tried Urban Outfitters' nail polishes?

Love 'em? Hate 'em?

What brand of polish do you think gives you the best bang for your buck?

Monday, November 25, 2013

I hope you're all looking forward to a little vacation time, lots of delicious foods in casserole dishes, and lovely time with your families. In the meantime, if you need a little Goodwill goodness to get you through the last stretch of days until turkey day, feel free to watch my latest thrift haul on YouTube!

Friday, November 22, 2013

I honestly don't think I've been this conflicted about a product in… ever? Which makes me think that doing a review on it is semi-stupid as well as semi-senseless. Regardless, it is what it is and I'm here to give you a review that will probably confuse you more than it will guide you; WELCOME TO MY AWKWARDLY TIRESOME LIFE I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY (you won't).

I got this little sample as a freebie in an Ulta order quite some time ago (a month? Two months? What is time when you're in school other than a constant reminder that you'll never get anything done on time and things that you do get done are never good enough?) so I didn't have many expectations… essentially I was just giddy over getting something for free.

So when I first pulled the applicator wand out of the mascara tube I was intrigued; the wand was in the shape of some sort of a pyramidal (sorry for the reference to my science background [it makes me cry too]) structure which is something I had never seen before.

Was it going to work? Did it matter?

I still don't have the answer to that but I sure can tell you, as I said in the opening, I'm just plain old confused (which, again, is a reminder of the days I wept in the front row [no shame] of my organic chemistry lectures). The stila stay all day waterproof volumizing mascara is extremely weightless which would normally be a wonderful thing but it also points to, what I assume is the reasoning behind, this mascara not providing much volume. It does, however, deliver in the lengthening department. Your lashes really do feel all fluttery and feminine but I do get the feeling that if you don't have decent lashes to begin with then this mascara won't do much for you. Again, that's just a hunch but I'm going to stand by it.

So there you have it folks… all of the reasons why I just don't know about this mascara.

I can't see myself running out to buy a full tube nor can I imagine recommending this to anyone. That aside, I do think that this is a nice bottom lash mascara so for the time being I'm going to use it for that. My lashes overall though just scream for more oomph (read: volume) and the stila stay all day waterproof volumizing mascara just doesn't do it for me.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

With the semester wrapping up here in grad school land, I've been pretty much the worst blogger ever as of late; my sincerest apologies!! I've basically just been holed up in my studio painting so, with the daylight hours waning with the coming of the new year, by the time I get home it's pitch black outside and I don't have time to take photos (not to mention my brain wants nothing more than cuddle time with Galileo and gallons of sleep).

Excuses (reality) aside, I put up a new video on my YouTube channel where I try out and review the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer for you all! I know it's kind of an 'old news' product but I had it in my stash and finally got around to trying it out now so sue me.

Friday, November 15, 2013

I can't believe it but we're up to #30 in terms of OOTW videos here on ThriftThick… holy cow!!

If you need some late night weekend videos to watch then feel free to check this one out (if you haven't already), or maybe if you just need some outfit ideas to inspire you for the coming week then take a peek!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

We're nearly halfway through November and, tried and true, my Birchbox arrived just on time… emotionally as well; truly I was having an awful day when I finally got home around 10:00pm, opened my mailbox expecting nothing other than bills bills bills, and saw this pink beauty waiting for me. Instant happiness, giddy girl feelings, and bliss! I couldn't have timed this one better myself.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Ughhhhhh so these photos may or may not be from the end of September… which, if you know me even a little, means the former rather than the latter. I'm sorry; I'm human; it'll definitely happen again.

I wasn't too thrilled when I got "HEDGE FUND" as my Ruffian nail polish shade a couple of months ago (everyone got a Ruffian polish that month but the color varied) but I was excited to try the brand nonetheless. So, to make lemonade out of this lemon, I decided the perfect thing to do with "HEDGE FUND" was to try out the 'Ruffian Manicure'… I don't know if Ruffian can really claim this type of manicure as their own (I've seen it plenty of times before) but I guess that's branding/marketing for you.

The Ruffian polish itself was actually extremely pleasant to work with; it was opaque in one coat and dried relatively quickly. I think it looked gorgeous paired with NYC's "Sidewalkers" and I got an overwhelming amount of compliments on the manicure while it lasted.

So there you have it folks! I hope you like this manicure and, if you haven't already, definitely give it a try for yourself. No nail tools or tape required; just paint your nail with the base color normally, let it dry, then paint the top color the same way you normally would but stopping the brush a bit higher than the cuticle so the base color peeks through. Easy peasy〜(‾▿‾〜)

Friday, November 8, 2013

Ohmahgah you guys I can't even with these. I CAN'T EVEN. I think the lady at the cash register of the CVS I finally found these at saw me pee a little when I found these sitting in the Maybelline Gilded In Gold display (which is the limited edition collection these matte Color Tattoos are a part of). Can you blame my inability to control my excitement though??

For nearly a month now I've been hunting these down at every Walgreens, RiteAid, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ulta… seriously, every store I could think of that gets in limited edition cosmetic releases I was there. And I was creepy (I'm assuming anyways… I can't imagine any of the stores thought my silent-disheveled-sweats-wearing-self was endearing).

Enough of my rambling though; let's get on to checking out these beauties and seeing if the hunt was well worth it, shall we?

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Like I mentioned in my original post on the Revlon Matte Balms I filmed an in-depth review/demo/first impression video for you all and finally got it uploaded to YouTube!! It really is a mishmash of a video but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless; I'd like to think I hit on all of the major points that I may have missed in my blog post, not to mention you get to see these beauties in action! So exciting, I know.

I also promised in yesterday's post that I'd have a 'real' blog post up either today or tomorrow… since I uploaded this video today though I guess that means it'll have to be tomorrow that I whip up a nice makeup review for you all haha. Get excited though, it's on yet another *SPOILER ALERT LOL NOT REALLY* fabulous matte product!

Monday, November 4, 2013

It's not often that I actually post a NOTD while I'm still wearing the polish… but "BRIGHT LIGHTS" is the exception. It is just so stinking cute; I honestly can't take my eyes off of it and figured that means it's worth sharing with you all straight away.

Right away.

Right now.

I know, I know, you're probably thinking Wow Cassie, that's an awful lot of photo pimping that polish… was that really necessary? Oh darling; DUH it was necessary!! "BRIGHT LIGHTS" is deserving of every glamour shot in the world. I mean, look at it! It's such an adorable concoction of multi colored (and multi sized) glitter in a milky robins egg base… it's absolute perfection.

Urban Outfitters is pretty high on my list of "stores who rip you, your cat, and every dead relative of yours off (even in the sale section)" but I have no problem shelling out top dollar for their nail polishes. Which honestly isn't even that steep; at $5 a bottle and often a "2 for $8" offer running, these end up being cheaper than Revlon polishes. Not to mention I love the ice cube-esque bottle, NARS textured wand topper, super fun selection of colors and finishes, and the formula is a creamy and dreamy delight.

Basically: I love UO polishes. That is all.

I can't help but think "BRIGHT LIGHTS" looks like birthday cake frosting. Maybe it's the super milky base, maybe it's the red/yellow/green/blue glitter mimicking funfetti sprinkles, maybe it's the fact that I'd just really love some cake right now. Regardless, I'm so in love with the way this polish looks on the nails; it's just cute, cute, cute. Not to mention application was a dream. I only needed three coats for the photos above (which sounds like a lot, but for a sheer milky base like this then you know that that's the standard minimum) and didn't have to go fishing for glitters. Each dip gave just the perfect amount!

So, like said, I'm absolutely enamored with Urban Outfitters' "BRIGHT LIGHTS" polish. If you can find it either in store or online then I would highly recommend getting it. L'amour!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Have I been living under a rock? How in Satan's bloody underpants was I unaware that Revlon had released two new types of lip crayons near the end of September? Forget the lacquer balms though (there are enough glitter packed gloss products on the market as it is)… I needed the mattes. I absolutely adore matte lips but, and I'm sure many of you agree, feel that finding a matte formula that doesn't dry out the lips and apply patchily is a bit of a unicorn hunt; you want to believe they exist but always come half a rainbow short of finding them.

Not. Any. More.

The original Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains are an absolute favorite of mine (which I'm sure you've noticed if you watch my OOTW videos on YouTube) so I had high hopes my unicorn hunt was about to be over with the creation of the Revlon Matte Balms… and happy happy joy joy I think I was right.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Just thought I would stop in real quick now that it's NOVEMBER and everything (omgwhatistimeandwherediditgo) to say I've got my monthly favorites video up on YouTube if anyone is interested! So feel free to sit down, grab some Halloween candy, and enjoy… because hooray: it's the weekend (even though for me that just means I have to go to work hahah)!!